Beginners Guide to Responsive Web Design

Why do we need Responsive Technology?

Responsive web design is mainly used to make websites work smoothly on mobile devices. This technology has evolved and has adapted to the needs of the users in the last few years and will continue to evolve at a steady pace. The paragraphs mentioned below will help you understand the basics of responsive web design so that you can create your own mobile website with ease.

What is the Purpose of Responsive Web Design?

This type of coding helps make websites run smoothly on mobile devices of various resolutions. For instance, if you are using a mobile device and you resize your browser, then a website that uses this technology will automatically resize the elements in the page for easier viewing. Responsive design is based on a few elements that include fluid grid, media queries and fluid images.

Are Websites Built in Pixels or are They Built Over a Fluid Grid?

Although websites are usually and typically defined in the term of pixels, in actuality this is not how it is displayed. This is the primary reason, most if not all websites are built using relative units in percentages, as opposed to fixed units as in pixels. These percentages can easily be set in CSS to design a mobile website that is ideal for you and your end users.

Responsive, through Fluid Grid Layouts

The concept of Fluid Images allows all the images on the webpage to be shrunk down within the confines of a grid. This prevents distortion, pixelation and other issues that occur when the browser is resized and viewed on different mobile devices.

What Should You Know about Media Queries Before You Design a Mobile Website?

Smartphones are traditionally and commonly used in the portrait mode and not landscape mode which is not ideal for most width layouts and website columns especially when the screen is resized. Media Queries are a core concept of responsive web design and can be created using CSS. You should keep in mind that this technology can be used only when a few conditions are adequately met, for instance the right mobile styles have to be first used after which the mobile query option can be utilized for creating an aptly sized mobile site.

Conclusion

The concepts mentioned here are the basics of responsive web design and can help you design a mobilewebsite with ease. This being said, there are a lot of other concepts to keep in mind while you attempt to create a site that fits on various types of mobile devices. If you need help and do not know how to fully utilize all the benefits of CSS, then hiring an expert can definitely help you get the results you need.